Ahh...those summer days...

Last night, I biked with my 7 year old to the rock gym to climb, the sidewalks were hard-packed and plowed. Easy riding, though I expect it will be a little more challenging now that it has snowed, especially after the streets get plowed but before the sidewalks do. Happily, riding with kids in the winter isn’t too much of a challenge, except maybe mentally. When my boy was 4, I pulled him most of the winter in his chariot to daycare, before and after work. When he was in kindergarten, and had graduated to the trail-a-bike, I used the bus and foot to get him from school in the winter because I didn’t manage to get the studded tires on my bike that winter…don’t ask me why. This year he is in first grade. I have my studded tires on. The trail-a-bike doesn’t have a studded tire, and at first I was nervous about that, but it doesn’t seem to be a problem at all. Soft trails can be a bit more of a challenge because of the extra weight I am pulling, but I can make it up all of the midtown/downtown hills with just a little extra effort. Next year maybe he’ll graduate to his own bike with studded tires, but for now this is the quickest way to commute by bike. Continue reading »

Bicycling has come a long way in the last 10 years. Our movement has grown larger and more effective; the number of people riding is growing in almost every community in the nation. We need more people on bikes more often, and the reasons just keep on growing. Whether it’s obesity, health care, climate change, air quality, energy independence, traffic congestion, economic development or quality of life issues – bicycling has got to be part of the solution. In 2010, Congress and our Federal agencies will be setting national targets and goals for 2020. They will be writing transportation, climate, health care, natural resources and other critical pieces of legislation that will shape our future. Bicycling must be prominently featured in these important pieces of legislation, documents, funding streams and programs.

Ten years ago, the first National Bike Summit brought just over 100 advocates and industry leaders to Washington, D.C. – this year we need to be closer to 1,000 participants to make a strong impact. Join us and speak up for bicycling; discover how your voice can truly be heard. Help the League of American Bicyclists celebrate 10 years of progress, and help us propel into a new decade of the bicycle!

Contact BCA if you want to go with a fun BCA board member! (must be 21 or over)  Guaranteed lots of laughing, learning, and exploring.

Three years ago at Benson and A St, a van struck me as the driver made the illegal right turn as I rode through the crosswalk. There are three signs at this intersection clearly stating “No Right Turn On Red”. Yet drivers often still run the red light. I’ve had at least two other close calls at the same spot since my accident. So you can imagine my delight last week, when I got to witness APD pull over a SUV that had just run the light! Now, don’t get me wrong, I wasn’t gleeful that a driver got busted (well, ok, maybe a little gleeful). I was just happy to see APD recognize the driver had not only broken the law, but potentially could have put me in danger. I wrote a letter to the editor thanking APD and also sent it to APD in case the Daily News didn’t print it. I was contacted by a seargent who told me that he would mention to the officers to keep an eye on Benson and A St.  So guess what I saw the next afternoon, on my afternoon commute home at the same place? Yep, that’s right! APD pulling over another driver after they had run the light too! So A Big Thank You to APD for watching over this tricky crosswalk!

BCA will have an informal meeting this Sunday, Jan 31, at Don Jose’s Mexican Restaraunt at 2052 East Northern Lights Boulevard, from 4PM – 6PM. You are welcome to join us. Likely topics will include updates on Title 9, discussion of the passage of the Anchorage Bike Plan, our upcoming Winter Bike Fest, and some exciting new grant opportunities. Join us to find out how you can help improve conditions in Anchorage for bike commuting!

Join the Bicycle Commuters of Anchorage on March 6 at the BP Energy Center, from 6:30 PM to 8:30 PM, for a Winter Bike Festival! Events will include a showing of the locally produced and award winning movie “Fat Bike”, a presentation by Roger Cowles about his trips to Nome via six wheeled bike, and a contest for the Most Visible Cyclist. We want to see the best you can do with bright clothing, lights, and reflective materials! Get creative! The winner will get prizes from local bike shops, and lucky audience members will get door prizes. Suggested donation for the Winter Bike Festival is $5-$10.

The Anchorage Bicycle Plan plan will be presented to the Anchorage Assembly in early March.  Ask your business for a letter of support or your community council to pass a resolution supporting the bicycle plan.  Supporters names will be updated. Congratulations to our early supporters and stay tuned for more communities and business names to be added. The whole fandangle group can be emailed at wwmas@muni.org or each member is found here.  Tell them what you think!!

The Anchorage Bicycle Plan in about 100 words.

• Goal is to double utility bicycling ridership (aka commuting), reduce injuries by 30%, and improve connectivity.
• Focus is on educating bicyclists and drivers about rights and responsibilities of sharing the road.
• Establish Anchorage as a leader in bicycle ridership and infrastructure among northern cities and make bicycling an integral part of transportation in Anchorage.
• Encourage and accommodate safe winter cycling.
• Develop a policy that requires accommodation of bicyclists in all new road construction.

Supporters to date……

Scenic Foothills Community Council  (CC)       Rogers Park CC       Alaska Public Health Association

Alaska Native Tribal Health Consortium Bike Team        Mountain View CC       North Star CC

Campbell Park CC     Your Clean Energy      Turnagain CC (TBA)       Southaddition CC (TBA)

Assemblyman Patrick Flynn       Assemblyman Matt Claman      Assemblywoman Elvi Gray-Jackson

REI      Paramount Cycles      Chain Reaction Cycles       Sunshine Sports      Speedway Cycles

Alaska Center for the Environment (ACE)

This year is an extremely important year for bike commuters in Anchorage. The Anchorage Bike Plan will be going before the Anchorage Assembly around mid February. We encourage every bike commuter, business or organization to get involved. Your involvement is critical and can be as simple as a short email to your assembly person.

Many cities in the lower 48 have realized the benefits of active transportation choices. We don’t want to be left behind. We have an leg up on some cities with our extensive greenbelt system that makes bike commuting convenient, safe and enjoyable for many. However, if you are not on the greenbelt system you have to deal with traffic, unsafe conditions and connectivity issues. The adoption of the Bike Plan will go a long way in making cyclists more comfortable on the road. The addition of bike lanes also sends a strong message to drivers; bikes have a right to be on the road.

BCA has developed a strategy to promote the Bike Plan. But, who is BCA? YOU are. We are not asking for money. We are asking for something much more valuable than that. We are asking for your time. Be a part of this historic event. Help Anchorage become more bike-friendly. Bike commuters represent a very small portion of the constituency. That’s why every voice  (your voice) counts. We need you because you are BCA.

To find out how you can get involved email BCA info@bicycleanchorage.org

Hey bikers, sugar plum fairies dancing in your head?  Are you dreaming of a Bicycle Friendly City? Join Bicycle Commuters of Anchorage on Sunday, December 27th 3-4:30pm at Middleway Café. We are going to be talking about the Anchorage Bicycle Plan and how we can all help promote its swift passage by the Anchorage Assembly.

Children walking and bicycling to school represent 11 percent of injuries and fatalities during the school commute but fewer than two percent of miles traveled. So it’s no wonder that parents are reluctant to let their kids walk or bike to school.

But a new report just issued by the Safe Routes to Schools Partnership, a coalition of organizations, government agencies, and professional groups working to implement effective Safe Routes to School programs, finds that Safe Routes to School initiatives are succeeding, without breaking the bank.

The goal of Safe Routes to School is to get more children walking and biking to schools. In 1969, approximately 50% of all children walked or bicycled to school, and 87% of children living within one mile of school did. Today, fewer than 15% of schoolchildren walk or bike to school. Today’s kids are less active, less independent, and less healthy.

Plus, as much as 20 to 30% of morning traffic is generated just by parents driving their children to schools, and traffic-related crashes are the top cause of death and major injury for children in the U.S. ages 1-17.

The new report, Safe Routes to School: Putting Traffic Safety First – How Safe Routes to School Initiatives Protect Children Walking and Bicycling, shows how Safe Routes to School programs can help keep children safe from traffic dangers while walking and bicycling to school. Continue reading »

Photo courtesy of BILL ROTH / Anchorage Daily News. Northbound traffic on the Glenn Highway continued to move slowly and was backed up to the Boniface Parkway overpass at 7 p.m. Dec. 15, 2009.

The headlines ring out on the ADN – Snow Creates Traffic Nightmare, or Highways Hazardous as Storm Continues. On KSKA I awoke to the same message. Roads terrible. 43 accidents in one day. Police asking that folks drive slowly and give space between the car in front of you. I knew it was snowing and I knew the bike commute could be rough with the extra snow. But I had no interest in sharing the road with impatient drivers who think giving space means a few feet between cars.  Add to that the holiday traffic and it wasnt even a question. I would walk my bike if the conditions were that bad.  But thankfully the neighborhood streets were plowed from yesterday and the additional snow on top of a firm snowpack presented no problems. In fact, as I made my way to work this morning I was astounded at how effortlessly I was moving. And all the while I was able to travel on quiet streets from East Anchorage to downtown, not fretting about the traffic, accidents and whether I would make it to work and back home without a bumper to bumper event.  If your not sure about the conditions, and drove to work, take extra time driving home to scout your route to see if the conditions are good enough to go by bike  (the route should preferably take you through quiet neighborhoods). Its far more fun and a heck of a lot less stressful than being stuck in a metal box with hundreds of other impatient aggravated drivers.  For tips on how to travel safely by bike in the winter check out our winter bicycling factsheet.